Lang Lang is Confirmed to Perform with the Hawai’i Symphony Orchestra in February

Lang Lang is getting a new ‘left hand’ for his performance with the Hawai’i Symphony Orchestra

On Sunday, February 18, 2018, Lang Lang, the Chinese-born pianist, arguably one of the world’s most recognized and popular classical musicians, will perform at the Blaisdell Concert Hall with the Hawai‘i Symphony Orchestra. But this performance will be different.

As many classical music enthusiasts know, Lang Lang has been out of commission for several months with an injury to his left arm. It has forced him to cancel several months of concerts.

Enter Maxim Lando, a 15-year-old prodigy. Lang Lang will perform with the HSO with the help of Lando, who is an alumnus of the Lang Lang International Music Foundation’s Young Scholar program, founded in 2008.

At Carnegie Hall’s annual gala in the fall of 2017, Lang Lang, Lando and Chick Corea performed a rare two-piano version of Gershwin’s Rhapsody in Blue. It was the first for Lang Lang, who said in an interview that he has performed works for one hand, two hands, four hands and even six hands, but never for five hands.

Lang Lang has chosen not to cancel his upcoming performance with the HSO, however, he will opt for a program change. Instead of performing Beethoven’s Piano Concerto No. 3, Lang Lang and Lando will perform Gershwin’s Rhapsody in Blue, with Lang Lang using his right hand, while Lando will sit beside him at the piano and serve as Lang Lang’s left hand.

This program change will also effect Sara Davis Buechner’s performance with the HSO three weeks later. Buechner’s Rhapsody in Blue Halekulani Masterworks program was scheduled to include Rhapsody in Blue and I Got Rhythm Variations by Gershwin, but given Lang Lang’s program change, Buechner will instead perform Saint-Saëns’, Piano Concerto No. 2.